Free The Trouble with Valentine’s by Kelly Hunter Page B

because it had done for years.
    ‘Nicholas Cooper.’ Kai’s narrowed black gaze told her he wouldn’t be dissuaded. ‘Last time he was here you couldn’t get enough of him. This time I see fear in your eyes when you look at him. So what did he do?’
    ‘Nothing.’ Truth and only truth, ‘He did nothing.’
    ‘Then why the fear?’
    ‘There is no fear.’ Nick hadn’t said anything and neither had his wife. His wife had actively tried to set Jasmine’s mind at ease with her teasing about the effect Nicholas had on the fairer sex. No one had mentioned anything about Jasmine’s shameful lapse of judgement. Maybe they never would. That was the ideal Jasmine clung to now. ‘I like his wife.’
    Kai just leaned against the kitchen counter beside her. Close enough that she could smell the clean citrus and ginger scent of him, close enough to marvel at how long his eyelashes were, and how beautifully shaped were his lips.
    Yes, Nicholas Cooper was handsome and she’d been momentarily dazzled by him, but
this
man was the one who had fuelled a thousand teenage fantasies, was still fuelling them, and Jasmine had a sneaking suspicion that Kai knew it.
    Awkward.
    ‘That hair,’ Jasmine murmured by way of distraction. ‘Such a beautiful red.’
    ‘Yes,’ murmured Kai with the kick of a smile. Superstition would have it that Hallie Bennett-Cooper had supernatural powers on account ofher hair colour. Jasmine didn’t believe it, but still …
    Hallie Bennett-Cooper had something.
    ‘If he hurt you I need to know,’ said Kai, never one to be guided in a different direction for long.
    ‘He hasn’t hurt me.’ Just saying the words made Jasmine realise the truth of them. ‘I acted the fool last time Nicholas Cooper was here. Nicholas listened to me and I liked that. He laughed with me and I liked that too. He’s very handsome. A little bit undisciplined.’ Jasmine smiled ruefully. ‘He was new. Interesting.’ Diversion and defiance and so very, very different to Kai. ‘I misread friendliness for flirting and easy charm for encouragement and now I’m embarrassed when I look at him because I know he never meant to mislead me.’
    Give Kai a taste of the truth in the hope that he would be satisfied.
    And when those penetrating black eyes of his doubted her, give him some more.
    ‘I’m nineteen years old, I live with my father and I never go anywhere without you. I make mistakes. I don’t know love.’ She barely knew kisses. ‘Allow me that.’
    Kai shifted his gaze from her to the floor. Hisprofile was as beautiful as the rest of him, his cheekbones cut with a master’s blade.
    Finally he nodded, still not looking at her. Explanation accepted.
    ‘You want those trays out on the terrace?’ he asked.
    ‘Not yet. I thought to wait another ten minutes or so – Nicholas and his wife may wish to shower and change clothes first.’
    Kai ran a hand through his short cropped black hair, too short to make a mess of it but an uncommon enough gesture that Jasmine stared all the same.
    ‘I’ll talk to your father again about allowing you more freedom,’ he offered. ‘More contact with people of a similar age.’
    ‘You should save yourself the trouble,’ she said. ‘I know how that conversation goes and so do you.’ She felt the hitch in her breath and prayed that Kai couldn’t hear it. ‘My father says no.’
    Nick knew women. Knew the feel of them in his arms and in his bed. More than that, he liked women and they could generally be counted on to like him right back. But he’d never met a woman who affected him the way Hallie Bennett did. Hell,when she was in his arms it was all he could do to recall his own name let alone the terms of their agreement.
    So she was amusing … women often were.
    So she was beautiful … there were plenty of women out there who were that, too.
    But since when had he ever wanted to watch a woman’s face forever, just so he wouldn’t miss whatever she came out with next?